Ways to use this list
- Plan a full practice: spin one warm-up and one skill drill, then finish with a small-sided game, the order many youth coaches follow.
- Volunteer parent coach with no time to plan: press your team's age group and spin in the car park before practice.
- Players' pick: the captain of the week spins the last drill of the session.
- Garden practice with your child: spin until you land on a drill that needs only a ball, like toe taps, sole rolls or juggling.
- Keep a season varied: with "No repeats until everyone is picked" on, every drill gets a turn before any comes back.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (36 entries)
- Toe taps
- Sole rolls
- Cone slalom
- Red light, green light
- Sharks and minnows
- Dribble tag
- Gates game
- Knockout
- Simon says with a ball
- Juggling
- Passing pairs
- Passing triangles
- Wall pass (one-two)
- Passing square
- Hit the cone
- Long passing
- Receiving and turning
- Rondo 4 v 1
- Rondo 5 v 2
- Possession square
- Shielding the ball
- 1 v 1 to goal
- 2 v 1 attack
- 1 v 1 defending
- Shooting on goal
- Crossing and finishing
- Penalty shootout
- Crossbar challenge
- Small-sided game 3 v 3
- Four-goal game
- Numbers game
- Throw-in practice
- Step-overs
- Drag-back turn
- Goalkeeper handling
- Agility ladder footwork
📖 Related guide: How to make fair random teams
Questions people ask
What soccer drills are good for 5 year olds?
At 4 to 6, every child needs a ball and lots of touches: sharks and minnows, red light green light, dribble tag and Simon says with a ball are favourites. Keep each game to a few minutes and avoid long queues.
What is a rondo in soccer?
A rondo is a keep-away game: a few players stand round a square or circle and pass while one or two defenders in the middle try to win the ball. A 4 v 1 is a good start, and 5 v 2 is harder.
How long should a youth soccer practice be?
Around an hour is common for young players, with a little longer for teenagers. Save the last part for a game, because playing matches is what children enjoy most.
How many drills should I run in one session?
Three or four is plenty: a warm-up, one or two skill drills and a small-sided game. Spin each part separately, or set Winners to 3 for a ready-made plan.
How do you play sharks and minnows in soccer?
The minnows each have a ball and try to dribble from one end of a square to the other. One or two sharks, with no ball, try to kick the balls out. A minnow who loses the ball becomes a shark, and the last minnow left wins.